10 Tips to have a Cleaner Home

Cleaning: it’s one of those necessary evils that few people like, but everyone has to do. While I don’t claim to always have a spotless house all the time (or to be honest; ever), I generally have a fairly clean house. I talked to a few other women who are much cleaner than I, and I’ve put together a list of 10 tips to have a fairly clean house, but still have a life.

1. Set a cleaning schedule. Whether you decide to take a day each week to clean, or clean something specific each day, clean on a schedule. This ensures everything gets cleaned once a week, but allows some down time. Before I had a schedule, if I had any down time, I’d feel like I had to be cleaning something. Now if I’ve completed my chore for the day, I feel more comfortable spending a few minutes reading or just spending more time with my kids.
2. Set time each week for a deep-cleaning task. I get very stressed when I think of all the deep cleaning I have to do (organize drawers, clean baseboards, shampoo carpets, wash walls, etc). Rather than save this all for spring, schedule half hour each week to do some deep cleaning.
3. Make it fun. Check out the post on creative ways to get kids to clean.
4. Clean as you go. When you finish with something, put it away. Put all dishes in the dishwasher when you finish with them. Wipe up spills immediately (this saves a lot of time as it’s much harder to clean up a dry spill than a fresh one). Throw garbage away right away. Put shoes away and hang coats up. It takes more time to set something down and then put it away later, than to just put it away to begin with.
5. Do a daily wipe down. Every night after my kids go to bed, I spend 20 minutes picking up the house, wiping down the kitchen and dining table and washing any dishes in the sink. This can be done quickly, but lets me wake up to a fairly clean house everyday (though with two kids, it doesn’t last long).
6. Listen to or watch something while cleaning. I clean during kid nap time, so I can listen to or watch whatever I want. I generally listen to an audio book while I clean. This makes it a lot more enjoyable.
7. Febreeze!! I am obsessed with Febreeze. It’s a sickness, really. If I find a product with Febreeze, I buy it! I have Febreeze scented all-purpose cleaner, Swiffer pads, vacuum bags, garbage sacks and air freshener. I even use regular Febreeze to spray my upholstered furniture. You don’t have to be as crazy as I am, but I love how fresh my home smells because of these products.
8. Don’t forget the hidden things. Vacuum upholstered furniture, dust light fixtures, wipe out fridge, wash bed sheets every 2 weeks or so, clean dust behind furniture and around electrical plugs, etc.
9. Don’t waste time walking around with empty hands. I remember as a child, my mom taking advantage of every step. If she walked through a room with something on the floor, she’d bend down and pick it up as she went. If she went upstairs for any reason, she’d look around and see if anything needed to go up. This saves tons of time. If you’re already walking that direction anyway, it won’t take much extra time to pick up around you.
10. RELAX! This is a hard one for me. Since having kids, I’ve had to realize, it’s okay if there are toys out or if I can’t finish everything because my kids need me. It’s all going to be okay. Especially if I generally try to keep up with my schedule, I know it will be okay if one thing doesn’t get done that day.